War; tragic and horrific.
Creating desolation, carnage and destruction.

Causing immense suffering, misery and loss,
destroying and changing lives forever.

Singapore during World War II was thought to be an impregnable fortress.
When it fell to Japan on February 15th 1942 it was probably Britain’s most humiliating defeat.

What followed were three and half years of hardship and cruelty.
No more so than at Changi .....

Entrance to Changi Museum and Chapel

A visit today to Changi Museum and Chapel is a solemn reminder of the evils of war. Most of the original gaol has been demolished, the museum and chapel remain to tell the story of what happened there after the Japanese capture of Singapore in 1942.

In 1942 Changi Gaol was a civilian prison on the Changi Peninsular, the British Army's military base in Singapore, part of which included a collection of military barracks. Once the Japanese took control these barracks were used as prisoner-of-war (POW) camps and eventually any references to anyone of these camps just became 'Changi'. Over 40,000 Allied troops were imprisoned here, mainly in the former Selarang Barracks. Most were then sent to work as slaves in Japanese occupied territories such as Sumatra, Burma, and the Burma-Thai railway. Thousands of civilians, mostly British and Australian, were imprisoned one mile away from Selarang in Changi Gaol. During the Japanese occupation in addition to the troops that were sent to Changi Gaol, over 3000 civilian men, 400 women and 66 children were incarcerated there, crammed together in terrible living conditions often tortured and beaten. The average living space per adult was 24 square feet, room barely enough to lie down. It became a living hell.

The original door way to Changi Gaol

Initially the Japanese seemed indifferent to what the prisoners did in Changi Gaol and the other POW camps. Concerts were organised along with quizzes and sporting events, although a meticulous military discipline was maintained.

Changi Gaol Artifacts

However, after Easter 1942, attitudes changed following a failed POW escape at the Selarang Camp. The Japanese demanded that everyone sign a document declaring that they would not attempt to escape. When this was refused over 15,000 POW’s were herded into a barrack square and told that they would remain there until the order was given to sign the document. When this failed a group of POW’s were shot. Despite this, no-one signed the document. Only when the Japanese refused to make much needed medicine available to the POW’s, was the order given to sign the document. It was a point of no-return for the POW’s who then became used for forced labour. The formula was simple – if you worked, you received food, if you did not, you would get no food.

Captivity

The shoes belonging to a POW who had been shot, left out to remind others not to disobey orders, rope used for torture

British POW's made small lamps using cigarette tins, collecting coconuts to make oil for the lamps.

There are many recollections from the POW's of how the local Chinese, including the elderly, would try to help them as they were marched through Singapore to work. Despite being beaten they would appear every day trying to give them morsels of food and drink.

By 1943, the 7,000 men left at Selarang Barracks were moved to Changi Gaol. The Changi Gaol had been built to hold about 600 people, with five or six to one-man cells this severe overcrowding, together with acute food and medicine shortages, meant death from malaria, dysentery and vitamin deficiencies became rife.

POW’s were made to dig tunnels and fox holes in the hills around Singapore as hideouts for the Japanese should the Allies return. Many POW’s believed they would then be killed; in fact when the Allies did recapture Singapore, the prison was simply handed over to them. After the war Changi Gaol, renamed Changi Prison, resumed its function as a civilian prison.

A piece of the original gaol wall

Stories from Changi Gaol

The Changi Quilts

The Changi quilts are a testament to the courage,  ingenuity and perseverance of the female Changi internees. The quilt making was initiated by Canadian, Ethel Mulvaney, to alleviate boredom and frustration. More importantly it was a way to communicate with the male internees, as all other communication was forbidden. Women were given six-inch squares of rice sack cloth to embroider her name. Sown together, under the pretext of a gift, the Quilts were handed over to the civilian men for the POW hospital. Knowledge of the women's well-being boosted the men's morale.

Changi Embroidery Cloths

This souvenir cloth is similar to a piece that British POW, Augusta M Cuthbe, had women internees embroider their names on.

St Luke's Chapel

In early 1942 Padre Fred Stallard, a chaplain in Roberts Hospital at Changi, obtained permission to convert a small room of Block 151 into a chapel. Built mainly be Australian prisoners this became St Luke’s Chapel.

The Chapel Altar Cloth

This 76cm2 piece of silk was used as the altar cloth in Changi Prison's St George's Chapel, during World War II. It fell into the hands of Singapore's then Chief Postmaster, Geoffrey Carl Allen. He died in England but when his wife heard about the worldwide 50th anniversary celebrations of World War II she donated it and 5 years later it was sent to Singapore when the Changi Chapel Museum was being redeveloped.

St Luke's Chapel Murals

The wall murals in St Luke's Chapel were painted by Stanley Warren who had been a commercial artist before the war. He had come to Changi Gaol hospital as a critically ill British POW and despite severe physical limitations was encouraged to paint murals on the chapel walls. Although paint was not readily available, with the aid of other prisoners, who unquestionably put themselves at risk, materials were gradually acquired. Crushed billiard cue chalk was used to produce blue. Warren began the first of the Changi Murals on 6 October 1942.

In August 1943 Robert Hospital was relocated to Selarang Barracks, and a new St Luke's Chapel was set up, the original chapel was eventually converted into a store used by both the Japanese and the RAF. The walls were painted over and the murals concealed. In 1958 an RAF serviceman detected traces of color on the walls, layers of distemper were scraped off and the murals were once again revealed but no one knew the identity of the artist. The RAF Changi Magazine, 'Tale Spin', published pictures of them in an attempt to locate the artist. At the same time a book entitled ‘Churches of Captivity in Malaya’ was found in the Far East Air Force Educational Library revealing the name of the painter. In January 1959 Stanley Warren was found, he was an arts master at Sir William Collins Secondary School in North London. He was asked to return to Singapore in the early 1960's to restore the murals.

Initially Stanley was very reluctant to return because of his horrific war time memories. However in December 1963, despite the great distress it caused him, Stanley went back. He became very dedicated to the restoration, returning to Changi again in July 1982 and May 1988, which was his final visit. He passed away in Bridport, England on 20 February 1992, his murals however remain a legacy forever.

In 1980 Changi Gaol was refurbished into a modern penal institution. By 2005 most of the original prison was demolished and a larger facility built. Today only a 180m stretch of the prison wall facing Upper Changi Road remains. The iconic main gate of the prison, two guard towers and the clock from the original clock tower have been preserved at the original site.

A visit to the Changi Museum and Chapel is distressing but very moving, a testament to the courage and determination of people bravely overcoming great adversity. It's well worth including on your itinerary whilst visiting Singapore.

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The gift of travel is precious and illuminating, exposing us to things we have never encountered before. It can be thought provoking and evocative, a historical discovery, making you ponder upon a life lived before or a life lived elsewhere. Intriguing and fascinating, it's why we flock to museums, delve into literature, become lost in a movie, all of which provide glimpses of what was and what is somewhere else. Each of our stories is a rich tapestry of threads and inter-woven strands. Many have contemplated; ‘What would it have been like if I had lived then or there?' Maybe its why some travel, to unravel the mysteries of living elsewhere, to be yourself on a totally different stage in the theatre of life.

Circumstances play their role in who we are and who we become. Even though the game of life begins with the cards we've been dealt, we have some choice about what happens next. Some never go on to shuffle the deck, never have the opportunity or maybe the will. Others look to deal new hands, to meet new players. Then there are those of us who throw all the cards into the air letting them flutter back through our fingers, to gather up and play in another setting with completely different people.

As I write this I am far from home, in a gleaming high-rise, surrounded by all the modern conveniences of the 21^st century. The efficient hum of air-conditioning keeping me comfortable, my laptop keeping me company, ice and cold water are not luxuries, with a flick of a button I could be watching BBC or CNN news or demanding a recent movie from a new 56 inch flat screen TV. There are avenues of shops and restaurants to exercise my credit cards, I am in a large contemporary metropolis which could be anywhere. Maybe for those who fly in for a few days’ business or stop over en-route to somewhere else that might be true. But I am not 'anywhere', I am in a spot within Southeast Asia that is totally unique, Singapore, what, I ponder would it be like to live here?

My view of Singapore's sleek sky scrapers

Singapore still wears the petticoats of its Colonial British past. People drive on the right, the electrical outlets and plugs are British, English is the predominant language and there are gracious 19^th century Colonial buildings and treasures to admire and investigate. Whilst exploring one hears European, American and Australasian voices, people from a thriving expatriate community, largely derived from global corporate postings. However the pre-dominant chatter is from people scattered across Asia. Mostly more delicately built, slightly shorter, dark haired and dark eyed; Singaporeans who proudly trace their heritage from across the neighbouring continents, and a rich medley of others.

Colonial Buildings of The National Museum of Singapore

Streets are busy, pavements packed with bustling crowds, roads with more taxis than cars. Shrill police whistles control the few cross walks, restricted in number as people are herded like sheep down underpasses, grateful to enter the cooler underground world of retail therapy, which occupies every spare square footage. Corridor after corridor of expensive, shiny, high-end shops, leads one to assume that this is a wealthy population with designer tastes, more than able to sustain such business.

Giant chinese lanterns at Marina Bay Sands Center, Singapore

Magnificent hotels compete with each other for business, boasting luxurious accommodation, spas and restaurants tempting both visitors and residents.
 Imposing buildings house Expatriate Clubs. Within their opulent confines one can imagine a bygone era when wealthy ladies, sweltering in their prim Victorian lace, sipped tea whilst being fanned by giant palm fronds, shockingly believing that ‘the boy enjoys doing this as it keeps his native mind occupied.’ Such frightening attitudes thankfully buried, the starched lace long forgotten, parents now mingle to watch their children swim, or to work out in well equipped gyms or just to meet with others from home ‘in the same boat’ as them. Days out are spent trailing the museums, golf resorts, amusements parks, bike and nature trails although always with consideration to the outside temperatures.

Time has altered many things. The days of servants replaced by ‘staff’ for the very wealthy. Maids are still employed, as people from less developed, poorer countries close by, flock here in search of work. Often more subservient, living in tougher circumstances without air conditioning, many survive on very little, sending money to extended families back home. The overall mantle of the poor, that of extreme poverty, crime, exploitation, malnutrition and disease, has largely been eradicated, perhaps more effectively in Singapore than in many western societies. However, away from the pristine city center very different, simpler lives are being lived. Many ethnic groups congregate in small communities such as ‘Little India’ and ‘China Town’, where a wide array of regional products, food, spices and silks are available. It is possible to sample local mouthwatering delicacies, to savour their flavours and aromas albeit it in less than salubrious surroundings. A sense of the past wafts over you from places and cultures not as touched by the hand of ‘progress’.

 In Singapore only the climate remains totally unaltered. Nestled at the southern tip of Malaysia, just 85 miles north of the equator, the heat and humidity are unrelenting. From which, until fairly recently, there was little escape. It slows you down and exhausts you, it’s uncomfortable and harsh. Yet construction workers, gardeners and a whole army of people still survive and cope in their searing outside ‘offices’. Many have no air-conditioning to retreat home to but life is more palatable for them than for their parents or grandparents.  Tall, sleek apartments accommodate nearly 5.5 million people in this tiny island state of about 272 square miles. Few, but the very wealthy can afford houses, most live in 'lego like' skyscrapers many, although small, are priced in the millions.
 Exorbitant taxes on car sales together with an efficient transport system keep the number of vehicles to a minimum. As you stroll through the streets listening to the blare of car horns, drills and general construction noise in this ever swelling metropolis you are constantly reminded of your proximity to the tropics. The air is never crisp; there is always the smell of heat and concrete, faintly peppered with slowly simmering food. The skies change rapidly from a milky blue to a haze like grey, puffed up with fluffy clouds suggesting a distant threat of precipitation. When it rains it is a ferocious downpour drenching the thirsty ground and those unfortunate enough to still be outside. Small wonder that the vegetation is so lush and green, freshened from Mother Nature’s daily soaking.

The Singapore Botanical Gardens

In only a few places can one escape the city, like the serene and stunning Botanical Gardens where one is immediately surrounded by the beauty of the local fauna and foliage.

Huge natural umbrellas made from the branches of native trees shelter you on vast sprawling lawns.

The air is fragrant from the perfume of orchids and exotic flowers.


Bird song fills your ears; it is if you have travelled somewhere else very far away.

It reminds you that you have done just that and that living here offers a whole exciting region to explore close by, Malaysia, Thailand, China and Indonesia. A reason in itself to be here, even if just for a while.

View of The Straits, Singapore

Living here is certainly different, no garden to relax in, no convenient car to zip around in. One thinks twice about the size of the grocery shop which has to be carried by hand and taxi or public transport. There is an element of claustrophobia. Yet to live in such a diverse, sophisticated, melting pot of cultures and still be pampered by 21st innovation, to be able to introduce oneself to the traditions and beauty of Southeast Asia, what an enriching opportunity it would be.

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Early history of Singapore up to 1819

The early history  of Singapore refers to the time before the British settled when it was known by several names dating back to the 2nd century. Over the years the island was controlled by different Southeast Asian kingdoms, from the 16th century it was ruled by The Sultanate of Johor.

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles arrives in Singapura - 1819 Singapore Treaty

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles
The British Statesman, Sir Thomas Raffles (6 July 1781 – 5 July 1826) landed in Singapore, then called Singapura, from Penang on 28 January 1819 with Major William Farquhar. On February 6^th 1819 a treaty was agreed with Sultan Hussein, Shah of Johor, giving exclusivity of trade and British protection to the region.
Fort Canning
The British flag was planted troops, dispatched and instructions left for a fort to be built at Fort Canning Hill.
Control of the Island was then transferred to the British East India Company, based in Calcutta, India. Farquhar was officially named the Resident of Singapore by Raffles. On 7 February 1819, Raffles departed leaving Farquhar in charge of the infant settlement.

When Raffles returned that year he established schools and churches for local people and western settlers. He permitted religious freedom to the local muslims, Christian schools were established by missionaries. A European town quickly developed and Singapore grew at an exponential rate. There were soon over six thousand residents from many different origins and  trade boomed.
Farquhar's contribution to Singapore's settlement included the commissioning of 477 natural history drawings from Melaka which he bought to Singapore and which today remain an incredible record of the fauna and wildlife of the region.
However Farquhar proved to be an inept leader and was asked to leave but refused. Raffles continued with plans to develop the city drawing up the Jackson Plan, with the colony's engineer, Phillip Jackson. Following more disputes with Farquhar, Raffles took control and in 1823, drafted Singapore's first constitution. Laws regarding freedom of trade and a land registration system were instituted. A police force and magistracy were set up on British principles. Gaming and slavery were outlawed. A specific regulation in the constitution called for the multiethnic population of Singapore to remain as is, and that no crimes should be based on race. Raffles had turned the trading post into a proper city with some semblance of order.
Finally Farquhar was removed and John Crawfurd, became the Resident of Singapore. Raffles' influence continued, he helped to found a Malay college in Singapore that heavily involved his observations of his years in Southeast Asia and the importance of both the local and the European languages. On 9 July 1823 he returned to England, to his other great interests – botany and zoology. In 1825 he founded and was the first president of the Zoological Society of London and the London Zoo. He returned to Singapore one final time on 22 August 1824. He died in London, a day before his forty-fifth birthday, on 5 July 1826. His memory lives on in Singapore, the famous Raffles Hotel and roads, schools, plazas and stations named after him. His statue stands proudly in the city center at the place where it is believed he first landed in 1819, Boat Quay now the centre of Singapore's financial district.

Singapore 1830-1867

From 1830 to 1867 Singapore remained a subdivision of the Straits Settlements together with Penang and Malacca governed by the Presidency of Bengal in British India. 

The Boston Bell - given by the 1st American Consul's wife Maria Balestier. The first American consul, Joseph Balestier arrived in Singapore in 1837. His wife, Maria was the daughter of the patriot, Paul Revere from Boston. Maria had this bell cast in Boston's Revere Foundry which she had presented to the first church of St Andrew in Singapore on the condition it be rung each night to sound the curfew at 8pm, reminding the sailors to return to their ships and to local townspeople to be aware of robberies and assaults after dark.

An opium victim in Singapore & general poverty

Singapore's Chinese Secret Societies 

Despite Singapore's growing importance it was still poorly funded and badly governed. In 1850 there were only twelve police officers to keep order in a city of nearly 60,000. Few had access to public health services and disease was rife, especially in overcrowded working-class areas where malnutrition and opium smoking were prominent. Prostitution and gambling, were widespread and Chinese criminal secret societies extremely powerful.

Singapore 1867-1946

Wealthy British Ladies  In 1867, Singapore, still part of the Straits Settlement, became a Crown Colony, overseen by the Colonial Office in London. Many of Singapore’s social problems were then addressed; Chinese women were protected from forced prostitution and secret societies were banned although with limited success, as they continued well into the 20th century. Singapore remained a place of great contrasts, wealthy Colonials lived a life of indulgence surrounded by privilege and looked after by servants from the local population. However  amongst the poor there remained an acute housing shortage and poor health and living standards.
By 1880, over 1.5 million tons of goods were passing through Singapore each year by steam ship. Trade flourished under no taxation and little restriction. Many merchant houses were established mainly by European trading firms, but also by Jewish, Chinese, Arab, Armenian, American and Indian merchants.

Singapore in the late 19th century

A World War II Poster

After the First World War the British build a naval base in Singapore, as a deterrent to an increasingly ambitious Japanese Empire. When completed in 1939, it had the world’s largest dry dock, the third-largest floating dock and enough fuel tanks to support the British navy for six months. Unfortunately, it was a base without a fleet and shortly after World War II broke out in 1939, on 1 February 1942 British rule was suspended with the Japanese invasion.
When British troops returned in September 1945, thousands of Singaporeans lined the streets to cheer them. However the British failure to defend Singapore had created a cry for independence. Much of the infrastructure had been destroyed, including electricity and water supplies, telephone services, and the port harbour facilities. There were food shortages and in addition disease and crimes were rampant.

Singapore, a separate Crown Colony

On 1 April 1946, Singapore became a separate Crown Colony with a civil administration headed by a Governor ending its relationship with the Straits Settlement. Despite continued unrest and unemployment, by 1947 the economy began to recover, facilitated by the growing demand for tin and rubber around the world. British governors ruled Singapore until 1959 when Singapore gained self-governance and Lee Kuan Yew became the first Prime Minister. In 1963, Singapore shed its colonial rule to become an autonomous state in Malaysia believing thats where it's future laid.

Singapore, an independent nation

On 9 August 1965 Singapore left Malaysia to become fully independent. Lee Kuan Yew's, administration (1959- 1990) made incredible progress to resolve mass unemployment and housing shortages.
The country's economic infrastructure was developed  so that Singapore evolved from a developing country to first world status by the end of the 20th century.
Singapore today is one of the world's most prosperous countries, with strong international trading links. Its' port is one of the world's busiest and it boasts a per capita GDP above that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

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Singapore, a sophisticated, dazzling metropolis in South East Asia; a cultural melting pot nestled at the tip of Malaysia. Its’ strategic position makes it one of the world’s busiest and most successful ports. Singapore’s location, thriving economy and wealth has attracted many international corporations to choose it as their Asia Pacific base. Consequently Singapore is a chic and dynamic blend of cultures and customs. There is much evidence of it's rich and vibrant history from the days when Sir Thomas Raffles made it a British Protectorate on February 6^th 1819 to the dark period during World War II when it was occupied by the Japanese, to its full independence in 1965. The story of Singapore is fascinating and compelling and its rapid emergence as a world class player in a highly competitive, ever changing global 21^st century market place, quite remarkable.

Singapore, modern and gleaming with its sleek skyscrapers

A place of contrasting areas ~ the more humble streets of Little India, brightly bedecked in late October for the annual Festival of Diwali.

The stunning 21st architecture of the Marina Bay Sands Resort

The 'flower' of the Arts and Science Museum

Contrasting with its Colonial past of The Raffles Hotel, named after Sir Thomas Raffles ~ 'the Father of Singapore'

The 19th century Bridge over the Singapore River

Singapore's prestigious symbol, the Merlion, its name combining the 'mer' - the sea, when Singapore was a fishing village known as Temasek and the lion representing Singapore's original name Singapura, ~ the lion city.

The original quay, Clarke Quay, now dwarfed by its glistening neighbours as river cruises amble by packed with curious tourists.

City scapes are left behind in the tranquil beauty of the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

Like any city there are many choices to dine, from beautifully prepared Thai food at the sumptious Jim Thompson in Dempsey Village

to equally delicious food at Komala Vilas in Little India.


The weather in Singapore can change in a moment as a sudden monsoon like deluge engulfs the city in heavy tropical rain, an almost daily event.

before and after a storm!

Singapore, a place of contrasts in architecture, culture, customs, dinind and weather ~ a place not to be missed!

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